A formal presentation of the Children of the Earth statuette to the 2020 award winner

There has been some delay after the pandemic but an opportunity finally presented itself on March 20th to honor the 2020 award winners. Siv Mika Engebretsen fra Amigitos, was at the at the dinner and the formal presentation of the Children of the Earth statuette in Oslo. Christian Ingebrigtsen was a surprise guest who performed the songs "Det jeg har gitt fra meg" and "Spor," both of which were written for the many worthy award winners Children of the Earth have chosen over the years.

Prize winner -2022

The Children at the Lakatoorah tea plantation in Bangladesh, where Hei Verden supports a local school centre. The children who live here are among the poorest and most marginalized in the whole country.

Price from Nordkapp to children in Bangledesh

The Children of the Earth prize for 2022 has been awarded to the aid organization Hei Verden, which was founded in 1973 by committed school staff in Haugesund and Stavanger. For nearly 50 years, they have supported educational projects for disadvantaged children in close to 25 countries on several continents. Today, efforts are concentrated on young students in Laos, Bangladesh, Zambia and Peru. Vulnerable groups such as indigenous people, girls and children with disabilities are given special priority.

The Children of the Earth prize, which is NOK 150,000, will be presented during a ceremony on Nordkapp on 21 September, where more than 250 school children from Honningsvåg and fishing villages on Magerøya will also be present. This year's prize amount has already been allocated for projects in Bangladesh, where the covid pandemic led to closed schools for 18 months and the risk that an entire generation could lose basic education.

In reality, large parts of the world are now facing an education crisis, says communications manager Stine Årstad Jacobsen in Hei Verden. She adds that the aid organization is ideologically neutral, politically independent and has its value base rooted in the UN's children's and human rights conventions.

Hei Verden's collects funds in Norwegian primary schools and through contributions from Norad, support members and local businesses.

Behind the award ceremony is the Children of the Earth foundation, which was established on the North Cape by the writer and journalist Simon Flem Devold from Ålesund. This year's award is the 34th in a row.